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We were the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA); and were dedicated to ending sexual violence in Jewish communities globally. We did our best to operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex crimes. In the past we offered a clearinghouse of information, resources, support and advocacy.

"Once you get over the shock and disgrace of his part in something so sleazy, you feel sorry for him," said Betsy Delman, who remembered Gordon as a "Pied Piper" with children.

Cantor Joel Gordon pleaded guilty to charges of involvement in a prostitution ringin conjunction with his wife Alison Ginsberg. After sentencing Gordon and his wife relocated to a suburb of Las Vegas. Since that time he has taken on two different identity's and has become a cantor within the Messianic movement (a Hebrew Christian group associated with the Southern Baptist Conference). He now goes by the name of Peter Gordon and also Peter G. Andrews.

ABSRACT:For members of the nascent Congregation Shirat Emet, nothing could be more fitting than to have Cantor G. Joel Gordon
lead as they seek meaningful worship through Judaism's arts, music and
literature. Gordon will begin his position Aug 25, 1995 when he leads
the temple's first Shabbat in Long Grove IL.

A modern Jewish Orthodox congregation and a Reform congregation, two
extremes in Judaism, are cooperating to "build a better tomorrow."

Cantor Joel Gordon (1987)

Buffalo Grove's Shirat Emet, a young Reform congregation, and Chicago
Agudas Achim Northshore, an established Orthodox congregation, have a
special relationship and have pledged to support and help one another
build, rebuild and perpetuate their Jewish heritage.At the forefront of the association is the story of a Baby Torah, the object of a search by Cantor G. Joel Gordon
who founded Shirat Emet in July 1995 and is leader there to more than
230 families. The congregation meets for Friday evening Shabbat services
at Town Center, 178 McHenry Road, Buffalo Grove.Gordon said the Baby Torah, one that is half the size of the usual
scroll which contains the Jewish law and the Pentateuch, the five books
of Moses, "was hidden in the back" of the Holy Ark at Agudas Achim for
many years, but is now being shared "with a new, vibrant, young and
willing generation." A smaller Torah was sought
to fulfill the requests of the congregation's special needs students.
While searching for the Torah, Gordon happily discovered an ancestral
descent to his great- grandparents Harry and Sarah Turk and was reunited
with two cousins he had never known. His great-grandparents, the Turks,
were among the founders of Agudas Achim."I met
my two cousins, Steve Turk, who is president of the congregation, and
the Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz and his wife, Linda Turk Lefkowitz," Gordon
said. "We have pledged to support and help one another to build, rebuild
and perpetuate our Jewish heritage."The story
escalated when Gordon took special needs student David Kuriniec to the
Chicago congregation at 5029 N. Kenmore Ave. to find a small Torah and
David's mother, Lynn Kuriniec, found the names of some of her family,
Mandel and Mary Galler and a past temple president, Emanuel Galler, all
of whom were major supporters of the congregation. There were tears of
happiness and emotion as Lynn Kuriniec lit a candle in memory of her
grandparents, aunts and uncles.Rabbi Levkowitz
exclaimed, "Our grandparents, our ancestors surely had their parts in
this reunion and in the perpetuation of Torah."Rosalyn Wolfe, administrator of Shirat Emet, and Fraya Feferman,
educational director, witnessed the happy reunion and David Kuriniec's
chanting of his Torah portion.When David
Kuriniec made his bar mitzvah, he read from the Baby Torah, the sacred
scroll that 100 years ago had been read by Gordon's and Steve Turk's
great-grandfather and Linda Lefkowitz's great- uncle.The congregants and students of Shirat Emet are encouraged to work
toward the restoration of Agudas Achim to thank that congregation for
providing the Torah scrolls, two of which have been entrusted to
Gordon's care.The Torah scroll, completely handwritten, costs approximately $35,000.Rabbi Moishe Shaingarten, a visiting rabbi who recently completed the
refurbishing of the Baby Torah, helped the Reform congregation celebrate
and give thanks to God Feb. 27 for the Torah's restoration.Gordon and his congregants are dedicated to cooperation of the two congregations."Agudas Achim and Shirat Emet are doing what our beloved state of
Israel is finding so hard to carry out," Gordon said. "We are
establishing cooperation and faith in one another to build a world for
our children."Gordon added that his contemporary
Reform congregation celebrates the "joy of Judaism through a variety of
traditional and contemporary,. cultural and artistic expressions." At
some Shabbat (Sabbath) services, members re-enact central ideas in the
Torah portions and other times engage in informal discussions to learn
what makes the past relevant for today. The cantor
believes music is an important aspect of Jewish culture and interprets
traditional Jewish liturgy in many musical forms, including jazz, pop,
blues, folk and traditional.Proud of his
congregation, Gordon said that members are "caring, deeply committed and
involved Jews who are eager to explore the rich fabric of Jewish
religion, culture, liturgy and history."We place
equal value on contributions of time and energy as we do on financial
donations," Gordon said. "We encourage members to participate in all
facets of congregational life, including worship, choirs and
committees."

Shirat Emet
Founded in July 1995, Congregation Shirat Emet, 178 McHenry Road, is
unique among other congregations in that it was organized around Cantor G. Joel Gordon and the belief that one of the most important aspects of Jewish culture is music.

Cantor
Gordon, who prepares all Bar and Bat Mitzvah candidates, is a fully
licensed clergy member who can officiate at all services and life-cycle
events. He interprets traditional Jewish liturgy in a variety of musical
forms, including classical, pop, jazz, blues, rock and folk. Guest
rabbis join the congregation on High Holy Days and as speakers at
selected services and educational programs.

Founded with fewer than 50 families, congregation Shirat Emet has grown
to a membership of more than 230 families that meet in Buffalo Grove's
Town Center. The contemporary Reform congregation celebrates Judaism
through a variety of traditional and contemporary, as well as cultural
and artistic, expressions. Shirat Emet was the first synagogue in the
area to offer a once-weekly Religious and Hebrew School.

The congregation is guided by a core group of leaders that includes
the administrator of the congregation, Rosalyn Wolfe; the director of
religious education, Fraya Feferman; and the president, Barbara Quinlan.

Arrest of former cantor on charges of prostitution shocks communityBy Ruth Silverman

Daily Herald- November 25, 2000Members
of the Jewish community were shocked Friday that a former temple clergy
member and his wife have been charged in connection with a prostitution
ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, at one time the cantor at Congregation Shirat
Emet in Buffalo Grove, a now-defunct synagogue, was charged with
keeping a house of prostitution after Cook County Sheriff's police
Tuesday raided three massage parlors operated out of private apartments
in the suburbs.

His wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.

Gordon
scheduled appointments at all three locations, sheriff's spokeswoman
Penny Mateck said Friday. "The last time I saw them was when I sang at
their wedding in late August," said Cantor Roger Weissberg, of
Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove. "I simply can't believe that they
could have been involved in all this."

Voicing similar disbelief
was Cantor Eric Wasser of Wilmette, who serves as president of the
Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, the governing body of about 70
cantors in the Midwest.

Prostitution charges for former cantorChicago Sun Times - November 25, 2000

A
former Jewish temple clergy member and his wife have been charged in
connection with a prostitution ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, who was at one
time the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, a
now-defunct synagogue, was charged with being a keeper of a house of
prostitution after Cook County sheriff's police Tuesday raided three
massage parlors operated out of private apartments in the suburbs. His
wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and being a keeper
of a house of prostitution. Neither could be reached for comment. Police
said the apartments were at 10120 Holly Lane near Des Plaines, 3476
Salem Walk near Glenview, and 4264 Plymouth Woods, near Glenview.

More women accused of being in prostitution ringBy Fred WoodhamsDaily Herald - November 29, 2000

Cantor Joel Gordon

Two more women have been charged in what Cook County sheriff's
police say is a suburban prostitution operation that is advertised on
the Internet.

(NAME REMOVED), 22, 2312
Windsong Court in Schaumburg, was charged with one count of prostitution
and another of being a keeper of a house of prostitution.

(NAME REMOVED), 22, 1900 Marlboro Lane in Southwest suburban Crest
Hill, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of
being a keeper of a house of prostitution.
"They were not on the premises when the other arrests were made,"
sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said Tuesday. "However, our
officers did have cases against them."

Police spoke with the women Friday and encouraged them to turn themselves in, Mateck said.

Police raided three suburban apartments on Nov. 21 and arrested six
people on misdemeanor prostitution charges. Among those arrested was
Gordon Joel Gordon, a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue.

Police still are seeking an arrest warrant for a man believed to be
the owner of the operation, called Golden Touch Massage, Mateck said.

The man being sought is listed as the registrant of the Web site
that police say directs customers to a phone number to schedule an
appointment with a prostitute.

The phone
number listed for the man and a number given on the site for women to
inquire about employment at Golden Touch didn't work Tuesday.

Mateck said police have previously made arrests of similar operations.

"We have found that in recent months that these types of businesses are being advertised on the Internet," she said.

Police also have seized business records of the operation and have turned them over to the IRS for review.

Six people working at a north suburban massage business, including a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue and his wife, were arrested last week and charged with keeping a house of prostitution, following a Cook County Sheriff's Police investigation.

Gordon Joel Gordon, 51, of 624 Happfield Drive in Arlington Heights, was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. Gordon was the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, which closed in early fall.

His wife, 23-year-old Alison R. Ginsberg, whose address was reported to be 619 Ivy Court, Wheeling, was charged with two counts of keeping a house of prostitution and two counts of prostitution. The couple reportedly was married at the end of August or early September. Prior to serving as cantor at Shirat Emet, Gordon was the cantor at Temple Chai in Long Grove from 1988 to 1995, when he left to open Shirat Emet, congregation officials said.

Samuel J. Gigele, 59, of 4189 Bloomington, Apt. 202, Arlington Heights, also was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Police, Gordon and Gigele handled scheduling and collected money for the Golden Touch Massage, which operated out of three private apartments in Glenview and Des Plaines.

(NAME REMOVED), was arrested in the incident and charged with three counts of prostitution and three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED), was charged with one count each of prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.

The two men and four women, all employees of Golden Touch, were arrested Nov. 21 following a 10-week undercover investigation. All six people posted bond the same day they were arrested and were released, according to the sheriff's police. Women employees at all three locations allegedly offered to exchange sexual acts for between $30 and $75, in addition to massages offered for $100 to $150 each by completely nude women. According to police, the business was advertised on the Internet.

An undercover police officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told by the owner she could earn between $600 and $1,100 a day working for him, but that all activities performed would be illegal, the sheriff's police reported. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Golden Touch owner Ronald J. Gold, who police said has fled to Los Angeles. Police also are looking to arrest and charge two other women in relation to the investigation.

Police confiscated $3,059 in cash and business records from all three locations. The records will be turned over to the Internal Revenue Service for review. All arrested Nov. 21 are scheduled for a Dec. 26 court date.

(December 6) CHICAGO (JTA) - Members of Chicago's Jewish community are expressing shock and dismay about the arrest of a former synagogue cantor and his wife of a few weeks.

The two were charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Joel Gordon, 51, who has served at several Chicago-area synagogues, was charged November 21 with keeping a house of prostitution following a police raid on three massage parlors, operated out of private apartments in the northern suburbs.

His wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.

Gordon was most recently the cantor and spiritual leader of Congregation Shirat Emet, a now-defunct synagogue in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

He remembers his student as "very talented and bright - but one who liked to dance on the edge." "I'm very sad," he continued. "It's very bad for all Jews, for the profession, and it's a disgrace to God's name, especially for a member of the clergy who wears the mantle of God."

Cantor Eric Wasser, president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, said, "Obviously, we want to give anyone the benefit of the doubt until due process has taken place." Gordon, he said, "has a real musical talent. We will offer our support in whatever ways we can. Certainly, there have been clergy with problems before, but this is pretty unique."

Wasser, whose group is affiliated with the Conservative movement, said he had not seen Gordon in a couple of years. Gordon used to be active in the organization, helping to plan programs, Wasser said, but had curtailed his involvement the last several years.

Gordon resigned from the Cantors Assembly last week.

One of the founding members of Shirat Emet, Betsy Delman, expressed a mixture of anger and heartbreak at the news of Gordon's arrest.

"Once you get over the shock and disgrace of his part in something so sleazy, you feel sorry for him," said Delman, who remembered Gordon as a "Pied Piper" with children.

"What was it that turned him in this direction - the demise of his synagogue? His age? His voice was incomparable. Was it all just superficial? Was there another person in him? Was there something that made him change? How do we explain to our children what a supposedly spiritual man has done?"

Cook County Sheriff's Police said female employees at three Golden Touch Massage parlors offered sexual favors for money and the business featured massages performed by nude women.

As part of the undercover investigation, a female officer applied for a job with the owner of the business.

The officer was told by the owner she could make between $600 and $1,100 per day working for him, but that all activities performed would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.

Both Gordon and Ginsberg declined comment, when reached by phone at the home of her mother. When asked if their lawyer, whom she refused to identify, would comment on their behalf, Ginsberg said, "Don't call him. He doesn't want to be bothered." Several other people were also arrested in connection with the ring. All were released on bail.____________________________________________________________________________________

A prostitution case against a former cantor
in a Buffalo Grove synagogue, who is accused of having a dark side
behind a magnificent singing voice, has been continued until Feb. 27. Gordon Joel Gordon,
52, remains free on bail on a charge of keeping a house of prostitution
in connection with a November raid on three massage parlors by Cook
County Sheriff's police.

The case against
Gordon's wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, who was charged with prostitution
and keeping a house of prostitution following the 10-week undercover
investigation also was continued until Feb. 27 to give the defense more
time to review the evidence investigators have compiled.

Both Gordon and Ginsberg appeared Tuesday for a preliminary hearing
in 4th District Circuit Court in Maywood but no further details of the
allegations were revealed by prosecutors. Neither the couple nor their
attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would comment on the case.

The couple was arrested along with four other people Nov. 21 during
three simultaneous raids at Golden Touch Massage parlors. The businesses
operated out of two apartment complexes in unincorporated areas near
Glenview and another in an unincorporated area near Des Plaines. Two
other women, who were not on any of the premises, also were charged with
prostitution as a result of the investigation.

Police said the business featured massages performed by nude women and
the female employees at all three places offered sexual acts for money.
A female police officer was told by the business owner she could make
between $600 and $1,100 per day but that the activities were "illegal,"
according to a sheriff's police statement at the time. Gordon scheduled
appointments for all three locations, police said.

The news shocked many in the Jewish community, who had known Gordon
for several years. He had built a new synagogue, Congregation Shirat
Emet in Buffalo Grove, around him. Before becoming the spiritual leader
of Shirat Emet, Gordon had served as cantor of Temple Chai in Long Grove for nearly 15 years.

An enrapturing voice and musical talent, were among the reasons his
leadership was sought for the new congregation, according to one of the
founding members. Cantors interpret the liturgy in song.

The congregation grew from about 60 families since its founding
about six years ago to nearly 300 families. But the membership began to
unravel during the past year or so and Shirat closed last fall.

"For the first two or three years everything was great," said Howard
Peritz, a Lincolnshire attorney and founding member of Shirat, who
attended Tuesday's hearing.

"We had heard rumors for years - rumors about sexual activity on the part of the cantor. We didn't believe them," Peritz said. "Now, you've got to wonder how many of them are true."

Sheriffs police said the suburban prostitution operation was
advertised on the Internet. Business records were seized and the amount
of information compiled by police during the investigation was
substantial, prompting Demeo to ask for the continuance to review the
material. ____________________________________________________________________________________

Chicago cantor denies prostitution chargesBy Ruth Gesmer Silverman

Jerusalem Post - December 28, 2000

CHICAGO - A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In a brief appearance December 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon,
52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of
keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing
acts of prostitution.

In the small, crowded
courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested
additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a
10- week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court
date was set for February 27.

The
investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees
of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a
cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with
Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day,
but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.

____________________________________________________________________________________Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution houseJTA - Jan. 5, 2001A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not
guilty to the charges., In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County
Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23,
pleaded no The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by
employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's
Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied
for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to
$1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's
department said.

Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others.
Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.

Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.

Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving
Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.

The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke
from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997.
Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to
the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.

Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.

Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."

Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat
Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He
was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior
were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation
around a man, we were canonizing him."

CHICAGO -- A Chicago-area cantor and his wife have pleaded guilty to charges of involvement in a prostitution ring.

G. Joel Gordon and Alison Ginsberg each received six months of court supervision and a fine of $200 for the crime after their pleas on Tuesday.

Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.

A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.

Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.

Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings.

"In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell. "Previously, all I'd seen was what appeared to pass for compassion and support during bereavement, for example, which I now feel was just self-serving on his part."

Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.

Officials at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, in New Brunswick, N.J., where Gordon once worked, refused to comment.

At Temple Sinai in Atlanta, Rabbi Phil Kranz said of Gordon, "We knew there was a problem. He was given a few hours to pack and be out and he left in the dark of night."

Gordon later served at Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., where his contract was not renewed.

Most recently, Gordon served Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill., before it disbanded in mid-2000.

When Gordon was asked if he had any plans to serve as a cantor in the future, his attorney, Robert DeMeo, said Gordon had no comment.

CORRECTION/ date 3-22-2001: A story in Wednesday's Daily Herald erroneouly referred to Gordon Joel Gordon as a "church" leader. Gordon, who on Tuesday pleaded guilty to keeping a house of prostitution, was a cantor for two Northwest suburban Jewish congregations.

A former Buffalo Grove and Long Grove church official plead guilty
Tuesday to keeping a house of prostitution. The official's wife also
plead guilty to a prostitution charge.

Both Gordon Joel Gordon,
52, and Alison Ginsberg, 23 at the time of her arrest, entered their
pleas in Cook County before Judge Daniel Kelley in a 4th District
Circuit courtroom in Maywood.

Kelley sentenced Gordon to six months supervision and ordered him to pay a $200 fine. Ginsberg received the same sentence.

Gordon, formerly the spiritual leader at Buffalo Grove's Shirat Emet and cantor for nearly 15 years at Temple Chai in Long Grove, and Ginsberg must return to court Sept. 18.

The couple's attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would not comment on the case.
Gordon and Ginsberg, at the time Arlington Heights and Wheeling
residents, respectively, were arrested in November in a raid by Cook
County sheriff's deputies at the Golden Touch Massage parlors.

According to the sheriff's office, the parlors operated out of three
private apartments in unincorporated areas near Glenview and Des
Plaines.

The raid stemmed from a 10-week
undercover investigation, during which investigators uncovered evidence
of nude women offering massages and offering to perform sex acts for
money.

According to sheriff's police, Gordon
and Ginsberg worked for the proprietor, Ronald J. Gold. Gordon was
charged with managing the business from an apartment at 4264 Plymouth
Woods, in an unincorporated area near Glenview, from September 2000 to
November 2000.

Ginsberg was charged with
engaging in sex acts for money and splitting the profits with Gold,
according to the sheriff's office.

An
undercover Cook County sheriff's vice investigator said Ginsberg offered
to place her hand on the investigator's sex organ in exchange for $75. ____________________________________________________________________________________

CHICAGO (JTA) -- Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.

A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.

Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.

Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings. "In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell.

Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.

CHICAGO (JTA) -- A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing acts of prostitution.

In the small, crowded courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a 10-week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court date was set for Feb. 27.

The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.

Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others. Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.

Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.

Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.

The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997. Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.

Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.

Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."

Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation around a man, we were canonizing him."____________________________________________________________________________________

Religion Notes - MusicLas Vegas Review - March 1, 2003

A "Concert of Peace," featuring Karen Daniel and Cantor Joel Gordon
will be presented by the Valley Outreach Synagogue at 7 p.m. March 8 at
Green Valley Presbyterian Church, 1798 Wigwam Ave., Henderson.
Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be accepted (436-4900).

The bio on cantor "Peter" Joel claims that he is a licensed Cantor in Judaism,
trained at the Hebrew Union College, Sacred School of Music in New York
City,NY. He has served Traditional. Conservative, and Reform Jewish
congregations for over 25 years.

Unfortunately, there is NO such thing as being a "licensed cantor", nor does the Hebrew Union College have any record of training a "Peter Gordon", yet does have record of Joel Gordon.

FAIR USE NOTICESome of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.____________________________________________________________________________________

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Survivors ARE Heroes!

The Awareness Center believes ALL survivors of sex crimes should be given yellow ribbons to wear proudly.

Survivors of sexual violence (as adults and/or as a child) are just as deserving of a yellow ribbon as the men and women of our armed forces, who have been held captive as hostages or prisoners of war.

Survivors of sexual violence have been forced to learn how to survive, being held captive not by foreigners, but mostly by their own family members, teachers, camp counselors, coaches babysitters, rabbis, cantors or other trusted authority figures.

For these reasons ALL survivors of sexual violence should be seen as heroes!